Improvement in cider-mills



3 Sheets-Sheet. 1..

R. TBASON. Cider-Mill.

Patented Oct. 8, 1878.

l INVBNTOR:

t WITNESSBS:

N.FETERS. PHDTUAUTNOGRAPHER, WASHINGDNy D C.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. EASON. Cider-Mill.

No. 208,723. atented Oct. 8,1878.

INVBNTOR W1TNBssEs: L?,

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Patented Oct. 8, 1878.

INVENTOR WITNES ATTORNEYS.

NA PI'EHSA PHOTD-LJTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT EASON, OF SPRINGVILLE, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN ClDER-MILLS.

V Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 208,723, datedOctober 8, 1878 application tiled August 2, 1878.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT EAsoN, of Springville, in the county of Wayneand State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Cider-Mill, of whichthe following is a specilication:

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l represents a front elevation of myimproved cidermill; Fig. 2, adetail vertical transverse view of themechanism for hoisting or lowering the full barrels of cider. Fig. 3 isa plan view of the cider-mill Fig. 4, a detail vertical transversesection of the grinding mechanism on liney y, Fig. 3; and Fig. 5, avertical longitudinal section of the cider-mill on line a: x, Fig. 4.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this invention is to furnish a cider-mill by which thecider is madewith'great rapidity and with but a small amount of manuallabor, the different operations being all performedby use of suitabledevices operated from the driving-shaft of the mill. The cidermill maybe operated by one attendant only, who controls the entire machine fromone platform, accomplishing successively the grinding of the apples andpressing of the pomace, the removal of the pomace from the cribs, theiilling of the cider into barrels, and the hoisting and conveying of thebarrels.

The entire manufacture of the cider up to the removal of the iilledbarrels is thus attended to without manual labor by the different partsof the machine.

The invention will rst be described in connection with the drawing, andthen pointed out in the claims.

The grinding apparatus is also operated from the drivin g-shaft, andthrown in or out of gear by a lever arrangement. The apples are suppliedto the hopper of the grinding mechanism by a tilting chute with bottomscreen. The pomace is quickly removed from the cribs to a car by meansof a triangular frame or sled being drawn over askid by a rope windingupon a drum receiving motion from the drivin gshaft. The cider isconveyed from the crib into a trough, and from the same into thebarrels, which are rolled, when filled, to a platform, and hoisted bymechanism operated from the drivin g-shaft to the next story, where theyare rolled 0E from the platform by suitable contrivances, ready forconveyance or shipment.

Referring to the drawings, Arepresents the supporting-frame of myimproved cider-mill; B B, two cribs, which are arranged sidewise of eachother, and C the followers of the same. The cribs are of the usualconstruction, and provided with removable slat bottoms and top planksfor compressing the ground apples.

The fronts B' of the cribs are removable,

and may be raised and held suspended by cords and rings a of the mainframe, so as to be out of the way when removing the cakes of pomace. Thefollowers O are secured to the lower ends of screw-spindles O1, whichare screwed up or down by nuts C2, that are turned in either directionby bevel-wheels d of the nuts, which mesh with pinions d1 of two shafts,d2, having each two loose pulleys and one fast pulley. The pulleys areconnected by direct and crossing belts d3 with the driving main shaft D,and are readily shifted by the usual shifting devices and hand-leversfrom the loose pulleys to the fast one and back, and thereby thefollowers either lowered to compress the ground apples in the crib orraised for removing the pomace and charging the cribs again.

The cribs are supplied with ground apples from a grinding-mill, E, thatconsists of a toothed grinding-cylinder, with outer casing and removabletop hopper. The apples are supplied to the hopper of the grinding-millfrom the wagon by a sliding and tilting chute, F, which rests on uprightposts F', and has a bottom screen for clearing the apples of dirt,stone, &c., in their passage to the hopper.

The grinding-cylinder is driven by belt-andpulley connection with anintermediate shaft, El, that turns in oscillating bearings E2, which areraised or lowered by a lever-connection, E, from the same point orplatform from which the shifting devices of the belts that operate thefollowers are operated. The intermediate shaft El is revolved by a beltand pulleys from the main shaft D, and motion transmitted to thegrinding-cylinder when .the shaft El is raised, but discontinued when itis lowered.

The grinding apparatus may thus be thrown in or out of gear, so as towork the same or interrupt its operation,without stopping the motion ofany other part of the mill.

Below the grindiiig-cylinder is arranged a centrally-pivoted gate, (l,that may be tilted to either side, so as to throw the ground apples intoeither crib, at the pleasure of the operator. The pivot-shaft upon whichthe gate swings may be passed through the snpporting-post between thecribs, and provided with a crank-arin, so as to be under immediate andready control of the operator standing upon a platform in front of andbetween the cribs.

The pomace is compressed between the top planks aml slat bottom, and thecider discharged from thc slightly-inclined bottom, having the usualfront gutter and spout, into a. trough or vat, 1l, with funnel-shapedtop openings, j'. The trough or vat ll has a partition, so that thecontents of the cribs can be kept separate. and prevented from minglingwith each other while the mill is operated, giving thus to each customerhis own cider.

The cider is discharged from the trough by brass spigots into thebarrels, which, when full, are rolled upon a platform and hoisted.

The pressed pomace is removed from the cribs, after raising the frontsection of the same, by means of a triangular frame or sled, I, which isformed of a strip of wood, and ametallic bail attached rigidly thereto.The sled I is placed on the slat bottom before the crib is charged, andretained in the crib dur ing the compressing of the pomacc.

For removing the pomace the hook l/ of a rope, 11, is attached to a ringor eye of thc triangular sled, and the same drawn ont of the crib bywinding the rope 1l upon a drum, 12, which is revolved byfriction-pulleys or otherwise from the main shaft. The rope ll passesthrough a pulley, yl, of a pivoted lever, 13, which is supported illseats y2 of the main frame, said seats being respectively in front ofthecribs, so that the same rope and sled may be used for removing thepomace from either crib by shifting the lcvcr I3 to the required seatg2. The opposite end of the rope ll is attached by a hook to thcwhaling-drum 12, so as to bel readily detached when not. in use.

The winding-up drum lz is revolved by throwing its convexfriction-pulley into coiltact with the concave friction-pulley of thedriving-shaft, which is accomplished b v making one of its bearingsvcrti -ally adjustable, and lowering it by a bell-crank, l1, lever-rodh, and hand-lever Il?. The drum upon which the rope winds is revolved orstopped by operating the hand-lever h2, and thereby the rope wound up,so as to draw ont the pomace from the cribs.

The pomacc and sled pass from the cribs over skids L to a car, L', whichis moved off on a track, and the pomace tinally dumped therefrom at asuitable place ofdeposit. 'hcn the pomace has been transferred to thecar the winding up of the rope is interrupted, the sled returned to thecrib, and the front section, l5', lowered, preparatory to supplying thenext charge to the crib.

The full barrels are hoisted, after being rolled on a platform, M, by ahoisting-rope, M1, that passes over a top pulley of the groovedguide-posts of the platform t0 the drum 12, so that by throwing the sameinto gear with the drivingshaft the platform and barrel are hoisted.When the platform arrives at a level with the next floor it is supportedon sliding and guided stops M2 at both sides of the guide posts, whichstops are thrown inwardly by springs. The outer stops, M2, are of lessheight than the inner stops, so that the platform, when interrupting themotion of the hoisting, settles thereon in inclined position, and causesthe rolling of the barrel in automatical manner, as shown in Fig. 2. Theplatform is lowered by withdrawing the stops M2 by means of a fulcrumedhand-lever and connecting-rod, M3. (Shown in Fig. 5.) Theoperator, bytaking hold of the hoisting and releasing levers, has perfect controlover the heaviest barrels, and raises or lowers them without danger andwith great facility'. The platform is centrally dished or concaved, sothat the barrel is retained thereon without rolling off when in transit.The platform is kept in place by guide-pins running in grooves of theguide-posts.

The different operations in cider-making, from the grinding of theapples up to the removing of the pressed-out pomace and of the, filledbarrels, are all accomplished in rapid manner by this machine with butone attendant, who has full control over every part of the machine,withlittle manual labor, the work being` all done by horse, steam, 0rother power applied to the driving-shaft.

The cider may be delivered into the wagon ofthe customer, requiring onlyto be rolled over a level floor. Large quantities of apples cantherefore be successfully handled and made to cider, and the cidermanufactured in a clean and superior manner without waste by dripping.

I lavin g thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. 1n a cider-mill, the combination of thegrindin g apparatus with a tilting chute having bottom screen forconducting the apples to grinding-mill and cleaning them, snbstantiall yas specified.

2. ln a cider-mill, the combination ot' a pomaec-carrying frame or sledwith a drawrope, winding-up drum, and lever mechanism to start or stopmotion of sled, substantially as set forth.

I. In a cider-mill, the combination of the pomace-carrying frame or sledwith a drawrope, winding-up drum, and lever mechanism to move or stopthe sled, and with a pivoted lever and a seat or stop for each crib, sothat the sled. may be Worked with either crib, subskid to conduct thepomace from the crib to a stantially as specified.

4. In a cider-mill, the combination of the crib having removable frontsection, of a pomacecarrying frame or sled placed between top planks andslat bottom, of mechanism for removing thc poma-ce from the crib, and ofa car, substantially as set forth.

ROBERT EASON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. POND BENJAMIN EAsON.

